All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are a popular type of vehicle used for leisure and non-leisure activities. ATVs are often ridden in and around areas that would be inaccessible by vehicle or would be difficult to traverse by foot. For example, they are often used in remote or isolated areas, such as desert and mountain areas. They are often used outdoors for riding trails, hunting and carrying game, transporting riders to and from job sites, etc.
ATVs are often used on terrain that is not always smooth and flat. They are frequently used to travel of rocky terrain, over brush, up-and-down crevices in trails, etc. Using an ATV in these areas can be hazardous to the riders due to the size and weight of the ATV, the young age or inexperience of the rider, etc.
ATVs are powerful but are still lightweight when compared to a road vehicle. On one hand, this combination allows the ATV to travel through terrain that would normally be inaccessible to a road vehicle. On the other hand, under certain conditions, the power of the ATV combined with its lightweight can sometimes cause the front end of the ATV to be raised off of the ground and, in some cases, to tip backwards. Tipping might occur, for example, if the ATV is used in climbing a hill that is too steep or if the rear of the vehicle is overloaded. This creates a very dangerous and potentially deadly scenario, especially for the young or elderly rider and for riders located in remote locations or inaccessible terrain.
When an experienced single rider drives an ATV, they can reduce the likelihood of the ATV tipping by shifting their body weight forward to aid in the maneuvering on difficult terrain and rebalancing the vehicle. However, this weight shifting technique may not be possible for inexperienced riders or where more than rider is on the ATV, especially when two riders are using an ATV intended for only a single rider. It also may not be sufficient to prevent the ATV from tipping when a sufficiently heavy enough load is placed onto the rear of the vehicle, such as when hauling large game or other heavy loads on the rear of the ATV.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus that will increase the safety of an ATV and reduce the likelihood of it tipping backwards when the rear end is heavily loaded and when it is climbing steep grades.